For Parents and Families: Learning at Home with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

LUNA Language Services is proud to announce that we have created a service line specifically to support the education of Deaf and hard of hearing students at home through our virtual service capabilities. LUNA provides interpreting services in American Sign Language (ASL), Pidgin Signed English (PSE), and Signed Exact English (SEE).

Virtual Tutoring in ASL/PSE/SEE

LUNA provides tutoring services with an educational interpreter who has subject matter experience with the topic of your choice.

Tutoring may be beneficial for students who may be struggling with one or more of their classes. Extra support can be helpful if they do not have resources like an instructor supported by an interpreter that has extra time with them.

For home-based learning, this can be beneficial for supporting families where the parents are not fluent in ASL, PSE, or SEE but the child is learning and predominantly communicates through one of these languages.

Technology Requirement: Families can utilize the virtual teaching platforms if the school already has that in place OR LUNA can set up a virtual meeting for the tutor or language mentor and the student to facilitate communication. Here are Zoom’s online instructions for establishing one user as a language interpreter during a session or meeting.

Pricing: LUNA will charge our on-site interpreting rates of $55 an hour with a one hour minimum. We will bill in 15 minute increments after the minimum is reached per our normal policy. Parents must pre-pay for sessions scheduled.

How to Request Virtual Education Interpreting Support:

Request either a virtual tutor or a mentoring session with a Certified Deaf Interpreter. – Please specify which service you’ll need and the subject the interpreter will either be interpreting or providing tutoring for. For example Algebra, Biology, 9th Grade English, etc. – Please specify if you need an ASL, PSE, or SEE interpreter/language mentor.

Provide the name of the student.

Provide the dates, times, and duration of the sessions you’d like to schedule.

Provide the information for the virtual classroom of your choice: – Provide LUNA with the link and any login information for the interpreter to access the session through your chosen platform. – OR request that LUNA set up a virtual meeting through our Zoom platform for you to share with the student and parent and for LUNA to coordinate with our interpreter.

Provide any helpful prep materials for the interpreter. – This is likely access to the materials the student is studying.

Provide contact information for the parties involved in the session you are scheduling. – The email address for the teacher who will be facilitating a session where a virtual classroom interpreter will be providing services. – OR the email address for the student or parent who will be hosting the tutoring session.

LUNA recommends that a minimum internet speed of 1 MBPS (megabytes per second) is provided to ensure that effective visibility is provided for comprehension of ASL. Check your internet speed here.